Neymar celebrates his goal at Anfield, 98 days after he suffered a fractured metatarsal in the French leagueSimon Bellis/Sportimage

Ninety-eight days had passed since Neymar left the Parc des Princes in tears, his World Cup hopes on a knife edge. Ninety-eight days in which the Brazilian people have been forced to contemplate the possibility of a tournament without their hero and talisman. He looked tentative as he stepped on to the Anfield turf yesterday, making his comeback as a substitute, but just 24 minutes later he was celebrating a quite stunning goal that seemed to confirm his readiness to play a starring role in Russia as Brazil beat Croatia 2-0.

It was his 54th international goal, putting him one behind Romário, who lies third in Brazil’s all-time scorers’ list, but this one was more about declaring himself ready for action. Picked out by Philippe…

Want to read more?

Subscribe now and get unlimited digital access on web and our smartphone and tablet apps, free for your first month.